The Adventures of a SandWing Animus
by DragonsAndGraveyards
Summary: An animus, a sentry, a traitor, a hybrid, a secret, and a prince all attempt to foil an assassination plot. "You will help her and the curse will be lifted." The words of a traitor, but Corona's only hope to avoid losing her mind. Fairly terrible summary, but hopefully the story should be good. Rated T in case of violence.
1. Chapter 1

Ah yes, the Scorpion Den. The sun beats down on it from dawn to dusk, and it freezes. The dust gets under your scales and the heat bakes the rest of you. You're constantly dodging poisonous tails, vicious claws, and the occasional burst of flame. Half the dragons there want to rip your scales off, a fourth wants to rob you blind, and the final measly fourth wants to help you in some way, or just stay away. Or at least, that's the impression you get when you first take a step in.

But maybe it'd changed since Corona was last there, when she was three. Standing in the shadow of the wall and looking up, it was still the same dusty old massive city. But she couldn't know for sure whether she'd get help or not until she manage to get inside. Which, if she managed it free of charge, would be quite a feat.

The sand seeped between her talons as she steadily and passively approached the sentry posted in front of the gates. She could've come this way flying, but instead she had elected to land several wingspans away in an attempt to look untroubled.

"Halt," the sentry hollered. "What are you doing here."

"Peace, friend," Corona said. It sounded cheeky, but she had grown to like the phrase. Her mother had said it frequently. "I don't come with anything but a proposition."

"Big words for a little dragon such as yourself," the sentry said warily. It would've come off as threatening, but he stuttered a bit as he said it. Despite his size, Corona thought his posture and demeanor suggested a young dragon, probably only around 15. He seemed a lot meeker when speaking than he did if you just took a look at him.

"I'd like to join the Outclaws." Corona plastered a smile on her face, overcome by nervousness on the inside but determined to keep her cool. It was crucial that she gained the protection of these dragons fast.

"W-what?" The sentry's eyes widened."How do you know about the Outclaws?"

"Word spreads fast, friend. A camel hide merchant told me about you," Corona lied. In actuality, the Outclaws were very difficult to get information on. She had been spying on them for a day or two using an animus-touched bowl, looking for the safest excuse to get inside. She still wasn't sure this was the best plan, but she was pressed for time. It was now, or she'd be captured by SkyWings shortly.

"We really gotta do something about that." The sentry scratched the back of his head shyly. "Anyways, now isn't the best time."

"Oh?" Corona could feel her confidence withering away inside her. "Surely you can use recruits anytime, yeah?"

"That's not really the point," the sentry said.

"What do you mean?" Corona demanded, acutely aware that it was becoming dark and that the SkyWings, if they did anything, would use the cover of night to their advantage.

"I can't really explain it without giving away classified information. You'll just have to come back another time."

"B-but…" Corona desperately searched through her mind for an excuse or another plan. _I could come back later when a different guard is on duty... No, it might be too late by then. Also, it would be night, which would look awfully suspicious. I have to convince him._ "Look, what's your name? Mine's Corona."

His entire face displayed his opinion as to how sudden that was in the conversation. "Ahem, I don't think I should tell you that. Good bye, Corona. I suggest you leave or you may be ejected from the premises." He sounded more confident now. Instead of being friendly, Corona had come off as eager and desperate and generally suspicious, and now he was certain of what to do with her.

"Wait!" _Idiot dragon. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but..._ She was probably imagining it, but she thought she could hear the beating of great wings on the horizon. She reached out in terror and grabbed the tip of the sentry's wing as he was about to lift off. "Imagine what Thorn would say if she realized you turned down the assistance of an animus."

Sand rustled like the paper of an old scroll as the sentry slowly turned on his heel, looking down his nose at Corona skeptically. She had to hope that the meek, shy dragon in him believed in what she said... Mostly because it was true.

Corona reprimanded herself mentally as she met his gaze. _Stupid, stupid dragon. Worst. Idea. Ever. Never go with the truth, the rule that keeps you alive, and you just broke it. He's never going to believe that. You're going to have to enchant something. NOT okay. NOT acceptable._

"No," he said dismissively. But Corona clung to the tiny, tiny shred of doubt in his mind. Enchanting something was useless if the dragon left before you could actually do it. "There have not been any animus dragons in the Kingdom of Sand for a long, long time."

"Since the one who enchanted the Lazulite Dragon," Corona agreed. "But that was the one you _knew_ about."

The sentry shook his head furiously, and took a moment to examine the sky, smudgy with the fading light. "No," he said again, making Corona nervous. "I don't want any part of this and you're just going to have to talk to somebody else about this."

"That's not very responsible of you." Corona scowled, trying to make herself look confident and strong and clever and a touch regal, like her mother had been. She internally battled a storm of emotions, namely fear, doubt, and some nagging thing she couldn't name but was always there and getting stronger.

"I suppose it isn't, but oh well." He turned once again to leave, and, feeling exceptionally stupid and young and overall terrified, Corona pounced on his tail.

"Leave me alone, you silly dragonet!" the sentry roared, not really out of anger, but anxiety. Corona tried not to feel the pang of indignation that came along with him calling her a dragonet. She was eleven years old, fully grown, but people didn't usually figure that out from her appearance.

"Please," she begged. "I can prove it. Let me enchant something for you. Please."

"I told you, I don't want anything to do with this!" If Corona had been in a less desperate situation, she might've noticed that this behavior was a bit extreme.

"Please! You can't leave me out here to starve and freeze!" She carefully left out the part about being pursued by SkyWings.

She almost didn't believe it when the sentry touched back down and flicked her off his tail. "Well why didn't you point that out to me in the first place."

And suddenly Corona felt very confused indeed. She started scolding herself again. It was a solid thing to do in a moment where lots of things were moving. _You idiotic scavenger-brained piece of camel turd._

"My name is Haze," the sentry said, spreading out a wing, beckoning Corona to follow. "Here I thought you were well off enough to be completely unaffected by being turned away. Silly me. How long you been out in the desert?"

And it hit her like a rock. "I am _not_ hallucinating," she said firmly.

Haze shook his head and laughed gently. "You'll feel better once we get some water in you. Come along."

 _The nerve. Assuming I'm hallucinating and treating me like a dragonet? Not things you want to do when you first meet a dragon._ But glancing back, Corona was fairly certain she saw a glimmer of flame-colored scales approaching fast from the east. Perhaps it was best she went along with this. She shook herself from horns to tail, imagining that each irritation was merely a fleck of sand on her scales that she could shake off at any given moment. She tried to look as though she suddenly felt fatigued. "M-maybe you're right," she said. _At least I don't have to admit to being an animus anymore._

"This way." He lead Corona through the massive gates and into the city. Surprisingly enough, even though the sun was rapidly descending and two of the three moons shone brightly in the sky, the city was still bustling with activity. Dragons were slipping through alleyways and shouting from stalls. Poisonous tails rattled against stone and claws glinted in the torchlit gloom. Malicious faces peered from shadows and tireless merchants swindled innocent passersby. Altogether, the city didn't seem a nicer place than how Corona remembered it, but perhaps that was only the surface. Maybe Thorn had really changed it. _Oh, I hope he doesn't remember me mentioning Thorn. He seems dizzy enough to have forgotten that._ She'd only found out through the bowl she'd touched.

Also, the city appeared undisturbed despite the problem Haze had mentioned. Corona kept her eyes open for whatever it was, but the general population either didn't know or didn't care.

She would know what it was already, but Thorn was, oddly enough, unreachable by animus magic. Corona would have to look into that.

"Falling behind, are we?"

Corona picked up her pace and followed Haze more closely, not wanting to be lost in the city. She imagined what it would be like to suddenly run into a trained assassin in a dark alleyway, alone and utterly defenseless. It wouldn't end well for her. "C-coming," Corona said, faking a distant and confused mumble.

She saw a shimmer ahead, as though there was an enormous mirror sprawled there on the ground. _The oasis,_ Corona realized. A large tent was on the other side; Thorn's dwelling, she guessed.

"Unfortunately I can't let you have any of the water until Thorn confirms you aren't an enemy. Or something like that," Haze babbled. "Shouldn't be too long though. Thorn's a good leader."

"Mhm," Corona agreed with apparent drowsiness.

At last, they reached the side of the tent, and Corona was working on how the conversation should go. She would have to do this carefully. Thorn wouldn't be as foolish as Haze, who for some reason seemed like he hoped against hope that he hadn't just met an animus. In fact, it seemed like he was making excuses just to prove to himself that it couldn't be. Corona wondered what had happened there and how Haze had developed a fear like that. She tucked it into the "needs further investigation" pile in her head.

They stepped into the tent and silence descended like a sudden downpour. "Umm this dragon came to the gates saying she wanted to join us and claims to be an animus," Haze said, studying his talons like he'd just realized they were there. "I personally think she's been out in the sun too much," he added, mumbling to the point of near incomprehensibility.

"We'll see about that," said a small-ish SandWing at the other end of the tent, sprawled out gracefully on a sky blue carpet. She was indeed small, but it looked like that would only make her faster in battle. She looked strong and clever. A moonstone amulet hung from her neck and she wore an armband of copper wire. _Thorn,_ Corona guessed. _That moonstone looks suspicious. Probably animus touched, probably what keeps her from being spied on. I bet I could work out the enchantment on it if I got my talons on it._

 _But why would I need it? I'm the only animus I've ever met._

"Hey," Corona said defensively, intentionally slurring her voice. "I do _not_ have sun-sickness."

"Sure." Thorn's eyes glittered in an odd way. This was going to be difficult.

"I am an animus and I will not be treated with such disrespect." Corona raised her head in a falsely pompous manner. Fear squirmed in her guts, but her mother had taught her that it was okay to feel fear; you just couldn't let it show.

"Prove it to me, or you may find yourself in a very unpleasant position."

Corona thought about altering her plan. What if Thorn wasn't the strict but caring leader her spying on the Outclaws had lead her to believe? What if she just killed Corona? _No. She's lying to make sure I act truthfully._

"Alright," Corona said, again slurring her voice. "Give me something to enchant."

Thorn gave one of the few other SandWings in the tent a look. He reached behind him and produced a small wooden box, which he quietly presented to Corona. "What do you want it to do? Make things disappear?"

Thorn thought for a moment. "Why not?"

Corona made a show of scrunching up her face and concentrating deeply on the box.

"Wait," Haze burst out. Corona could see the struggle on his face. Tell Thorn whatever it was that had occurred to him and risk getting involved with an animus, or stay quiet and move on with his life. "She has to touch it. I-I read a scroll on animus magic once. Trust me."

"Are you sure?" Thorn asked him.

Corona panicked as her plan fell to pieces. From what she could see, this could go two ways. Thorn could guess her plan, which had been to intentionally fail at enchanting so that they would think she indeed was hallucinating, and kill her, or worse, imprison her and give her over to the SkyWings when they came. Or, she could take this as a sign that Corona really was hallucinating. Against her will, Corona swallowed nervously.

"I'm certain," Haze said after a deep breath.

Thorn eyed Corona coldly for a moment. "You fool, she's not hallucinating, she just acted like that to get in here." She leaned closer. "You can see it in her eyes. Oh I really don't need this right now," she added under her breath.

For a moment, Corona just sat there stupidly, dumbstruck and petrified. Then, she ran.

 **Hello hello and thank you for reading the first chapter of my first fanfiction! Oh yes, I have great plans for this. That is, if I actually finish it. I'm working on it. Anyways, follow and review, no flames please and thank you, good bye!**

 **P.S. When I named her Corona, I meant like the halo around the sun, or a crown, not the beer. XD**


	2. Chapter 2

_Get to the sky,_ Corona's most primitive instinct said. _Hurry up hurry up hurry up!_

But she had enough smarts to set something on fire first. She took one of the torched by the said of the oasis and chucked it at the tent, hoping to catch the fabric on fire. She knew someone would put it out long before any real damage was done, but she was going for confusion, and it would actually be better to her if no one was hurt.

"Somebody catch her!" Thorn's voice rang out as Corona's talons left the sand. Her muscles burned as she flapped hard to get as high as she could. Wind generated by her scrambling wings swirled around her. The moons cast a silver glow on the city. It would've been a tranquil scene, were it not for the conflict.

Corona was high in the air by the time the few of Thorn's soldiers which had elected to follow her had started to really gain on her.

Just when it seemed like nothing could possibly get any worse, what with being about to be caught and having set a fire in the only place that could help her, when she saw the first SkyWing. He descended like a wrathful, regal ball of fire, the moonlight shining darkly on his red scales. Two dragons were with him, and it appeared that they had seen her. They were coming closer fast, their massive wings beating slower than Corona's heart but taking them farther than it seemed it would. _No safety in the sky anymore._

Panic dug painful claws into her chest. In the split second she had to think, her brain rattled off reasons why it would be smart to keep running. _Give yourself to Thorn, she gives you to Ruby. Give yourself to Ruby, she forces you to use your animus powers until you go on a rampage._ So she spiraled into a dive, back _towards_ the fire and all the dragons who wanted to catch her. Her talons once again felt sand and she took off running. Apparently the fire was more resilient than Corona had thought it would be. It hadn't occurred to her that the SandWings in the Scorpion Den might use something to keep their torches lit for longer. But here was the proof in front of her, dragons scurrying to and fro through the steam and smoke. _Aha._ Steam, just another bit of chaos she could use to her advantage. She dived into it and skirted around the back of the flaming tent. She could hear Thorn barking orders from somewhere, which made her feel as though her heart had climbed into her throat and was crawling around while some other organ played in her chest.

It was going well. She had made it around the edge of the tent and was now trying to make her way inconspicuously back into the crowded alleyways of the city, where dragons were coming out of their homes to see what all the fuss was about. Little did they know that the nervous-looking dragon sliding right past their snouts was the one they were looking for. Her nerves screamed at her to run, but she knew that even Thorn might not recognize her in the dark if she wasn't running.

She slipped into an alley and turned a corner, hiding in the temporary shelter of what appeared to be a family's pile of decomposing trash. _Deep breaths,_ she told herself. _You made it this far, and if you actively avoid all Outclaws and SkyWings for the next couple of days, you should be able to slip out unnoticed. Besides, even if you do get caught, neither side will kill you._ That sounded silly even to her. A feeling of hopelessness and, most ridiculously, a dragonet-like longing for her mother enveloped her, pressing down on her like a physical weight. She felt so tired, remembering her desperate escape from the SkyWing palace, and before that, the death of her mother, and even before that, her few years of true peace.

Her limbs felt useless, like they had suddenly turned to stone in protest of the events. Her eyes felt sore, and soon she felt she could keep them open no longer...

Corona woke to the feeling of sharp claws pressing into her neck. It took every ounce of courage in her not to cry out. It was still night, which made sense to her. Someone was bound to find her by then. _Idiot. Why on earth would you fall asleep somewhere so conspicuous? Your mother gave her life for you, and you repay her with such carelessness? You are such a scum-scraping scavenger-brained piece of-_

"Give me a reason not to kill you right now," a voice said, close to her ear, as the claws pulled her to her talons. A poisonous tail worked it's way up so that the barb would sit directly on Corona's heart.

 _Cliche,_ Corona's brain noted uselessly. What did it matter to her if this dragon obviously read too many adventure scrolls? She wished her near-genius mind could tell her _useful_ things for once, or keep her awake when she was about to fall asleep during what was probably the third most crucial night of her life, aside from being born.

"How am I supposed to give a good reason if I don't know who I'm talking to or why you would want to kill me? I could say something completely out of context," Corona said.

"Valid point," the dragon agreed. _Male, judging by the voice. Deep, but with an obvious stammer. Almost certainly fake. Why? To hide an identity? Oh, I'm an idiot._

"Haze." Corona let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in.

"Don't act so relieved," Haze said, evidently unable to keep a hint of indignation out of his voice. "I can be dangerous too, you know."

"I'm sure you can." Corona's natural tone of voice made it sound sarcastic. She hoped he wouldn't be offended. "But you aren't planning to be right now, because if you wanted to kill me, you would've done it while I was asleep."

"Maybe I enjoy this."

"You don't."

"You sound awfully sure of yourself."

"Your tail is shaking, alerting me of the fact that you're nervous. Also, your stammer is a fairly obvious sign." Corona had to stomp down her pride, which, paired with the emotion she didn't understand but was always there, was threatening to make her cocky. Cockiness leaded to death, if she'd ever learned anything.

"You're right. I don't plan on killing you. But if you don't give me a good reason to help you, I'm going to hand you over to Thorn," Haze said.

He dug his claws into her neck just a tiny bit more, a reminder that escape was out of the question. Corona gulped, an unfortunate but temporary breach in the wall of cool and collected that usually protected her.

"You have a fear of animuses," she started.

"Who said that?"

"I did, mostly because your claim that I was hallucinating was completely irrational," Corona explained. "I am actually an animus." She reasoned that this was one of the few moments in her life where the truth could be preferred.

"I was afraid of that," Haze grumbled.

"You probably know, then, why I can't let the SkyWings catch me, and you probably know that Thorn has to hand me over if she wants Burn to continue to tolerate your staying in the desert," Corona said.

She could almost hear the gears turning in Haze's head as he rationalized. "Okay," he said at last. "That's a pretty good reason. I can't let the SkyWings have that much power, especially with how unpredictable Ruby is. If Burn found out we let you go, we'd all be in trouble, though," he continued, thinking out loud.

"Right, but Ruby won't ask Burn about me because they aren't allies right now," Corona countered.

"If Thorn gave you to Burn and Burn sold you to Ruby in exchange for help in the war, Burn would never breathe down our necks again."

"But Thorn can't give you over to Burn with the SkyWing soldiers here."

"Alright alright," Haze said, loud enough to make Corona cringe. "You're right." He let go of her, and Corona took a few steps back to study his face. She realized from his expression that he was the kind of dragon who would've helped her anyways. "I have a short cut which will get us out of here and into the rainforest. Don't ask questions, just listen."

 **Yay, chapter two all finished! I never write chapters this long, so I'm surprised at how long this is going for, and I have a lot of plans for this so if I keep at it, this should be good. I hope you're enjoying it so far! Review if you will.**


	3. Chapter 3

Corona followed closely behind Haze as he lead her through the alleyway, down a road, and into a house Corona thought must have been his own. It was quaint and warm, with tawdry trinkets on the windowsill and a fireplace waiting expectantly to be lit. To Corona's relief, however, he didn't light it. While it was perfectly logical to have a fire for warmth, as the desert didn't retain much heat at night despite how sweltering it was in daylight, dragons might happen to glance in, and the light would happen to illuminate the face of the Scorpion Den's currently most wanted.

Haze flopped down on a carpet near the back wall, but Corona just sat down near the door, out of the view of the window.

"So, right about now there'll be massive amounts of confusion, what with the fire-"

"The fire's out," Haze interrupted. "Why did you set that, anyway?"

"Distraction. I sincerely hope no one was injured," Corona said, hoping her naturally wry voice wouldn't make that sound like an act. "Never mind the fire. At least the SkyWings will have to work things out with Thorn before they get permission to search the city. Plus, Thorn seems like the kind of dragon who would realize my value by now, so she'll probably have some decision making to do. She may even suspect that I was telling the truth, but the SkyWings probably told her I was a prisoner of war. We have to act quickly though. Right now is prime escape time."

"I know," Haze agreed. "Luckily for us, I forgot to ask another guard to go on duty. It's not the first time I've done that... It's a miracle she ever puts me at the gate anymore. I guess she wasn't suspecting anything like this."

It took a moment for Corona to catch on. "With everything going on just now, she won't know about the current lack of security. And nobody will probably notice me because not everyone was there during the fire... That's risky, though. Dragons will have seen me, and they're probably smart enough to realize that I could easily be the one who caused trouble."

Haze thought about it for a moment. "How much soul do you have left?"

Corona was startled by this. She didn't know how common the knowledge that animuses lost their soul was. "I don't know," she answered truthfully, fumbling for a proper estimation. "I've only ever used my power for little things. The most draining thing I've done was..." She paused, knowing it would be stupid to mention spying on the city for days. "A bowl."

"So you could technically enchant an object to disguise yourself," Haze suggested.

The idea seemed stupid on the outside. However, the inside was filled with usefulnesses. She could use that more than once. It wouldn't have to be just for this occasion. The SkyWings wouldn't stop searching for her any time soon, so it was possible she would be wanted for quite some time. "Alright," she agreed.

Haze crossed to the window and snatched a small desert stone, vaguely reminiscent of a claw, and handed it to Corona. It felt jagged and cold in her talons. She asked for a string, and Haze ripped one from his rug.

Corona wasn't the best animus ever to have lived, and it was hard for her to focus her energy on the enchantment. _Turn me into the image of whatever dragon I picture in my mind while wearing this necklace._

"Okay. It should work now. Let me test it," Corona said at last, looking up from the stone on the string. She pictured the most generic, plain SandWing she could, and added a torn ear. Then, she slipped the necklace over her head and hoped for the best.

"Whoa," Haze exclaimed. "That's... Incredible," he admitted resignedly, through his fear of magic.

"Let's just hope I can fool everyone else here," Corona said.

Dawn was breaking as the two of them stepped out onto the street. The chill of the night was fading away and the warmth of the sun beat down. Corona shook out her wings and stepped forward, trying to look nonchalant.

"Follow me closely," Haze whispered. Corona nodded.

Early starters were setting up their shops and hustling anyone who came close. Corona carefully avoided them and tried not to flinch away from their gazes.

They turned a corner, and the gate was in sight. Corona's heart did somersaults in her chest, threatening to break free of her scales. _It's okay to feel fear. Just don't let it show._

"Hey, Haze, where are you going now?"

Haze spun around instantly, plastering a shy smile on his face. Corona froze, and then followed his lead, only without the smile.

A female SkyWing with odd dashes of brown on her scales was approaching them, a grin stretching from ear to ear. From the way she looked at Haze, Corona could tell they were close. Possibly even in love.

"Oh, hey Sunrise," Haze said sheepishly. Corona wanted to stomp on his foot and yell in his ear that he was supposed to be helping her escape, but this actually might help. It would look more natural if they stopped to chat.

"Who's this?" Sunrise asked. Her grin didn't waver for even a moment.

"Oh, this is Beetle." Haze gestured over his shoulder at Corona.

 _Where on earth did he pull that name from?_

"Hi," Corona growled, pretending to be mean and aggressive. After all, if she was to be a fake dragon, it would be more realistic that she had a fake personality.

Haze jumped, taking a moment to understand the personality change, but Sunrise apparently didn't think anything of grouchy Beetle with the torn ear.

"It's good to meet you." Sunrise actually managed to stop smiling for a moment and give them a cautious look. "So where are you _both_ going, then?"

"Beetle has business with Burn, and Thorn sent me to make sure she gets there safely," Haze said. He must've been thinking about this the entire walk there. Corona had been, too, but here it was best for Haze, trusted sentry, to speak.

"So soon after both fires and... And Sunny? I would think Thorn has her talons full planning a rescue," Sunrise speculated.

 _Oh, the problem has something to do with Sunny._ Corona had briefly seen the little SandWing in the bowl she had touched, but she couldn't believe she was capable of stirring up trouble. She was a little weird looking, but certainly not dangerous. Corona tucked that away for further study.

Haze shrugged convincingly. "It's important we're on good terms with Burn for the meeting. She prefers we do it before the rescue."

"Oh," Sunrise said, nodding slowly. "I suppose that makes sense. Fly safely." She threw herself around Haze in a hug, and then without another word, she turned and retreated down the street, leaving Haze with a wistful look on his face.

"I don't mean to sound pushy, but shouldn't we get a move on? Your girlfriend was nice and all, but we have more important matters to attend to," Corona said, dragging the love struck sentry back to reality.

"She's not- we're not-"

"Whatever. Let's go."

Haze hunched his shoulders sullenly and lead her through the gate, which was still sentry-less. The broad expanse of the desert sprawled out before them under the blanket of the sky.

"This shortcut of yours. Where is it, exactly?" Corona inquired.

"Around this way," Haze said, in a confused sort of way that had surely got him his name, and walked off in a way that seemed suspiciously like wandering.

 _At least we're out of the city,_ Corona thought. But she still wished they could fly. It would be a lot faster. Unfortunately, that would draw too much attention.

The sun was in the middle of the sky, causing their shadows to pool around their talons, by the time they reached what appeared to be a semi-circle of cacti. Upon further inspection, Corona realized that the cactus was only there to block a large, half-buried hole in the sand.

"You've got to be kidding me. This tunnel goes all the way to- oh." She cut off abruptly as she got close enough to feel the odd _not supposed to be here_ sensation that usually came along with animus magic.

"Alright, in you go," Haze said.

"But I don't know my way around the rainforest," Corona said, perhaps because she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a friend, who wasn't her mother. Who was dead now.

Haze considered this for a moment. "I suppose you're right. I'll take you to the RainWing village. They'll take care of you. Or they just won't notice you."

He dug a few talonfuls of sand out from the tunnel and then slipped in. Corona followed behind him, almost surprised to feel her front claws click on stone.

Suddenly, she felt pressure on her tail, and she was yanked back and into another dragon's talons. She didn't even have time to cry out before she was knocked out cold.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, my fanfictions NEVER got this far on any of my other accounts! Huzzah! Hopefully I'll be able to keep it going till the end. Oh, I forgot to mention, even if this hasn't spoiled anything for you yet, it will at some point. Happy reading! - Dave**

Corona's head felt like it had been trampled by a hundred camels, and her mouth felt full of sand. Her whole body hurt.

 _OW. What am I doing here?_

Then she remembered her escape from the city, and then being yanked from the tunnel and knocked out. Briefly, all she could be was angry. She had been SO CLOSE to escaping.

She opened her eyes and found herself staring straight into the face of a NightWing. She breathed a plume of fire in his eyes, and he stepped back, yelping, although he hadn't been exposed to the flame long enough to cause actual damage. Corona leaped to her talons and- immediately fell back down, not only because the world spun around her, but because she was shackled to a wall on very short chains.

She was about to start making threats, like "Don't come any closer or I'll hit you with my tail," but then she realized her tail was chained to the wall as well.

The NightWing lumbered back, rubbing his face with his talons and whining. "What'd you do that for?" he grumbled.

"That's what I do to dragons who rudely knock me out, and then chain me to a wall," Corona spat. "Who under the three moons are you?"

"I'm Traitor of the NightWings. We haven't met and I'm not the one who captured you, but-" his voice took on a strange quality. "I know you well, Corona the SandWing animus."

Corona gasped and looked down, realizing whoever had captured her had taken her necklace. "How do you know my name?"

"Because I'm a NightWing. I'm good at this sort of thing," Traitor said cheerfully.

Corona wordlessly grumbled in a skeptical fashion. She'd never really believed all the rumors about NightWings, and neither had her mother. This Traitor dragon had probably just heard it from his boss. "Good for you." She flopped down sulkily and examined her shackles.

"I have something very important to tell you," Traitor announced.

"Oh yeah?" Corona got up and started throwing all her weight away from the wall, trying to unbolt the chains. If she had to fight her way out, she was fairly certain she could beat this dragon.

"You will help her and the curse will be lifted," he said, fumbling with the words as though he wasn't quite sure of what he was saying.

Corona stopped what she was doing. Curse? Did he mean the animus curse? Was there a way to get out of it?

"There's more," Traitor added quickly. He pressed his talons to the sides of his head, lines appearing on his forehead as he concentrated. "It will be an assassination of some sort. A SkyWing assassination. I think... Oh dear, is that Queen Ruby? You'll have help, I think. From a sentry, a secret, a hybrid, a prince, and... Oh, that's weird. I'm apparently going to help you too."

"You're making that up," Corona interrupted. "You can't just tell the future like that. Don't these things usually happen in like, a prophecy or something?"

Traitor shook his head. "Nope, not for me. I think my future sight is just stronger than most. Corona, you have to let her take you to Burn. You'll get help there. I promise."

"Her? Who's her?" Corona demanded.

"The SandWing I work for. Tarantula. She owns a crime network of sorts, and she's going to try and sell you to Burn. Don't worry, she doesn't know you're an animus. She's selling you as a normal slave."

"Why?"

"I told her about you. I had a vision of you walking in the desert. I told Tarantula you would be there and she used the necklace-"

"What necklace?"

"An old one. Animus touched. Makes you able to travel without being noticed. Anyways, she used it to follow you and grab you. Your friend is probably standing around and scratching his head right now, wondering where you went. Anyways, it's important you let her sell you. Just remember that."

And suddenly, something hit her in the side of the neck, like a bee sting but notably more painful, and she slipped drowsily into unconsciousness.

 _It's almost unrealistic; stupidly difficult things keep happening to me,_ Corona thought as she opened her eyes. Unfortunately, no dragon was directly in her face this time, and she didn't get a chance to inflict any pain before taking in her surroundings.

She was in a tent, shockingly similar to Thorn's. She was far enough away from the burgundy walls to decrease the risk of her burning the thing down on top of them. Directly ahead of her, sprawled out on a royal blue carpet like a queen lording over her subjects, a sly smirk on her face, was the SandWing Corona assumed was Tarantula.

The crime queen was massive and well-muscled. Her black eyes were cold, and glittered intelligently. The scales along her back and shoulders were tinged oddly rust brown. She did indeed remind Corona of the massive spider of her namesake.

As for security measures, Tarantula was flanked on either side by bulky thugs, and Corona suspected there was probably two more at the door behind her. Corona herself was chained to something she couldn't see; probably the other guards. Her tail was chained to her leg.

Traitor sat to her left, a look that said, _remember what I told you,_ plastered on his face. Corona made a point of glaring at him, but kept his advice in mind.

"So," Tarantula said, her voice laced with false sweetness. "How lovely it is to have you with us. My dear NightWing here seems to think you're worth something."

"I didn't say that," Traitor complained. "I said you'd get some money off of her, not that she's important or anything."

"That's what I said." Tarantula eyed Traitor strangely, like she didn't appreciate his presence, but needed it. "Well then, fancy being a slave to Queen Burn?"

Corona didn't dignify that with a response, choosing to seethe in silence instead.

"My my, you _are_ an angry one," Tarantula simpered. "Little dragonet-"

"I'm not a dragonet. I'm fully grown," Corona interrupted, before she could stop herself. The outburst was so juvenile, she almost disagreed with her own statement.

Tarantula got to her talons and took a step closer, scrutinizing Corona harshly. "Hmmm, you're rather small for an adult... Queen Burn won't like that one bit."

"Burn can go suck on a cactus."

Tarantula laughed. It was a harsh noise that completely shattered the mask of innocence she had been trying to wear. "You know, I think that same statement at least once a day. But customers are customer."

Corona sighed.

"Traitor, I'm not sure she's worth the trouble. Maybe we should just kill her. After all, now that she's seen us, if she manages to escape, she could blow our cover."

"No, she won't try to run," Traitor said, giving Corona a long, hard, significant look. "I've seen it."

"Yes, but your prophecies have been rather... Unpredictable, lately."

"When have I ever failed you, Madam?"

Corona was internally disgusted. She understood why the NightWing was called Traitor, now. He used his powers for Tarantula, telling her where it would be easiest to strike. He was a traitor to dragon kind.

"Fine," Tarantula said conclusively. "Guards, take her to the stronghold, and be quick about it. She's a feisty one."

"This way," said a voice to her side. The guard. Corona turned to leave and could've sworn she saw a guilty look on Traitor's face, like maybe he didn't want his job anymore, like maybe he'd like to give everyone a reason to change his name.


End file.
